A Symbiotic Relationship
by Copperheadmike123
Summary: Beast Boy comes into contact with a symbiote named venom, pleading to allow it to use the changeling as a host in a exchange for powers and boosts. Is this the start of a healthy symbiotic relationship? Or is it a much more sinister parasite. Read and find out! WARNING: dark themes, rated M for a reason.ON HOLD
1. Chapter 1

**Alright, so I swear I'm going to get back to my other story, but this idea has**

 **been gnawing away my sub-conscious so I'm going to be writing this as well.**

 **...**

 **Bold text is the symbiote talking to Garfield.**

Prologue

)0(

Beast Boy ran into the light of day, away from the blond-haired geomancer who refused to acknowledge their relationship and her ties to the Titans. Pushing the flood of grief that threatened to drown his heart, the shapeshifter rose to the sky in the form of a sparrow.

Following the signs and sounds of battle, he found his team attacking the mysterious white monster in a construction zone. He observed the battle as he perched on the side of a steel beam. The creature was roughly about the size of his beast and had an extremely fast regenerative power.

Some may think Beast Boy was stupid, but that simply was not the case. It was a part of the Jokester act he played. During his time in the Doom Patrol, Mento had embedded hundreds of militaristic protocols inside the changeling's thick skull. Follow that up with years of fighting experience and survival instinct, he was actually quite tactful.

He noted how the creature could turn into any material it made contact with, becoming liquid cement before hardening and trapping a cybernetic man's limb inside before turning itself into a titanium brute and ripping Cyborg's arm off.

How could his power's help against a creature who could turn its flesh into any material? These moments made him envy Raven's powers, though, he found a guilty pleasure in her struggle to bring down the monster as well.

Suddenly a dark, feminine voice spoke in his mind. **"Shapeshifteeeerrr..."**

The green boy paused with a bewildered look before shaking his head and vaulting down to the dusty ground below. A single thought sent his body into excruciating pain for no more than a few seconds as he switched to a stegosaurus and landed on top of the now concrete creature, shattering its left arm and cracking its back. It healed quickly of course but it was a spectacular display none the less.

"There you are friend Beast Boy, what a grand entrance." Starfire happily clasped her hands and enticing a smile from the now human Beast Boy.

His smile faltered however when the voice came back. **"Heeeelp meeeeee."**

The ominous hiss sounded desperate and Beast Boy found himself searching around until his eyes rested on the now fully regenerated and frost white creature.

 **"yessss... I'm being drained as weeeee... speeeeaak... Help meee."** Its voice was fading and becoming distant.

Maybe it was his hero initiative, maybe it was the desperation in the entities voice, or maybe it was just his cat-like curiosity. Whichever it was, he found his arm digging into the creature's chest as its metal tearing screech emitted from its throat.

The creature reeled its arm back, prepared to strike the changeling but before it could, the arm in its chest expanded ten-fold as the changeling became a sasquatch, and the creature dropped its own arm onto the green limb embedded in its torso. He felt something warm and slightly slimy wrap itself around his furry forearm and a cry of excitement in his head.

The Titan's had been, confused by their teammate's sudden actions. However, they trusted their friend, so they came to help.

Starfire wrapped her arms firmly around Beast Boy's torso and began to pull with him. Had he been paying attention, he would have mused on the way her palms tugged warmly on his bare chest.

With a final monkey-like roar from the green sasquatch and an ecstatic **"yes yes yes!"** throbbing through his mind, both Starfire and him exploded backward and tumbled to the dusty ground together.

The creature let loose one final squeal before melting to the floor in a white puddle. Cyborg, Robin, and Raven ran to their downed teammates.

When the dust cloud cleared, the duo's position was of a very suggestive nature. Somehow, the Tameranian had ended up on top of Beast Boy and one of her knees were in between the now human changeling's legs. One hand rested on his chest as she looked up dazed. Her eyes found Beast Boy groaning underneath her with his green orbs closed. A faint blush reached her cheeks as she fumbled to get up.

This, of course, was seen by Robin who grunted in annoyance.

Beast Boy simply sat up and rubbed his head. When a tingling sensation reached his hand he looked at it and watched intently as a black sludge began to seemingly flow into his green skin until it was gone.

"How did you know that would kill it grass stain?" Cyborg asked while examining the white liquid on the ground.

 **"please don't tell them about me..."** the voice which was now a lot less fuzzy and more cheerful than previously pleaded.

"uuuuh... I could smell a different chemical in the air so I just kinda went for it, dude."

while this appeased Starfire and Cyborg, Robin and Raven each gave him quizzical looks before nodding and turning away.

Beast Boy let go a breath he didn't know he was holding.

"why didn't you want to be known?" Beast Boy whispered so low even his own hearing had trouble picking it up.

 **"You can speak to me in your mind Shapeshifter, and because they would surely kill me for what I am."**

"And what are you exactly?"

The entity hesitated and Beast Boy quickly reasurred it. "I won't kill you." He then placed his hand over his heart, "Scouts honor.

A humorous, almost serene laugh massaged his conscious and he had the strangest feeling deja vu, like he had heard that same angelic laughter in a past life. **"I appreciate your humor Shapeshifter... I am a symbiote called, venom."**

"Venom, huh?" The green boy thought for a moment then decided to address the elephant in the room. "Why did you enter my body, and where are you now?"

Again the voice hesitated. **"I want to offer a proposition..."** Beast Boy's silence prompted the creature to continue. **"I need a host to live... and I have quickly scoped through all of your teammate's minds and found you to be the most suitable.**

"Me?! Suitable? Ha, this must be a joke."

 **"As funny as it may be, this is not the punchline, merely the line-up... You have proven to be loyal, honorable, humble, and strong. It would be an honor to have you as my host."** Its tone was earnest and Beast Boy was taken back by the compliment. His surprise turned into curiosity.

"So I know you get to live and that is enough for me to help... but tell me, what do I get out of this deal?"

 **"Well, for starters, I offer a general boost to anyone's powers and give overall increases in agility, strength and cognitive function. Now, with your already impressive arsenal, I can also add the powers of my last host, which involved sticking to walls, super strength and a sort of sixth sense to alert you of danger."**

Beast Boy whistled and Raven gave him a dirty look, to which he responded with a very out of character scowl that surprised the empath and prompted her to look away. When the others motioned for him to get moving and Robin said he was calling a team meeting, he became a falcon and flew towards the tower.

"We'll continue this conversation later... but, I just want to know. Is that voice who I think it is?"

 **"Yes, it's your mother, I hope you don't mind... I was looking for a more... soothing voice before I called for help."** The voice paused for a second before continuing, **"For what it's worth... I'm sorry about what happened."**

The shapeshifter's falcon head nodded as he flapped three times. "It's ok... and thank you, it is strangely soothing. I had forgotten what her voice sounded like."

Once he landed on the top of the tower, he switched back to human form and looked at the now setting sun. The brilliant array of reds, oranges, and yellows floated through the air and creating a barrier of pink between the swirl of tones and the blue sky. Tears prickled his eyes and he didn't try to stop them. He let them fall, he let himself feel the day's effects, and he allowed himself to remember simpler times. Times before he had attained his powers... when he still had his parents to look out for him. When he wasn't alone in this cruel world.

 **"You aren't alone anymore...Garfield."**


	2. Chapter 2 - Venom

Just so you guys know.

Regular text is people speaking normally, and Venom using Garfield's mom's voice.

 _ **Bold Italics will be for Venom's dark voice**_

 _And Italics are for when Garfield and venom speak at the same time._

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Beast Boy collapsed onto his bed, groaning as he rubbed his tired eyes. He had just finished giving a report, alongside Robin, to the JCPD and attending the infamous "team meeting". It wasn't bad besides those typical sarcastically, sadistic comments from Raven. He had regarded that ever since Tokyo, their relationship had become so much worse, for a reason that he couldn't figure out. Her slaps to the back of his head had grown especially rough and forceful and her comebacks were no longer as playful as they once were. He reflected on how he used to like her, but that crush of course passed and now he just saw her as a friend... barely.

His thoughts gravitated to his additional female teammate. How her delicate features and flowing, scarlet locks appeared to glow in the elegant rays of the sun. How beautiful she looked even in her battle armor when they had first met. Gradually his feelings floated dangerously close to jealousy and he hurriedly shook his head, chastising himself for stooping so low. He should be happy for Robin and Starfire, yet, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't stop the nagging sensation in the back of his mind.

"So you DO like her." The symbiote said in his mind.

Beast Boy wasn't even going to attempt to conceal something from an entity that could literally read his mind. He had the sneaking suspicion that none of Mento's training would stop something that had actually been absorbed into his skin either.

"Yeah... I have since I first met her." He mentally sighed. There was silence and Beast Boy decided to ask, "So... I'm assuming you have already merged with my mind?"

"Actually, no." This surprised the green boy. "I am not physically allowed to merge with someone completely without asking for permission... not anymore at least." The ominous wistfulness in the mental voice told Beast Boy not to push the subject too much.

"Is it painful?" The shapeshifter grinned.

"Not nearly as much as your powers harm you, Garfield. It will, however, feel as if you are being suffocated for a few minutes."

"Pfft, I can handle that... I think." despite Beast Boy's confidence, his increased heart rate was picked up by the symbiote.

"I promise that I will make the process as smooth as possible if you allow it."

Beast Boy took a second to calm himself, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. When he opened his eyes, his green orbs hardened with determination.

"I'm ready."

"All right... you may want to lay down then." The symbiote advised.

Beast Boy obliged and the moment his green back hit the sheets, an unfamiliar sensation tugged at his palm. As if the skin itself was being pushed away from the tissue. The voice was right, it wasn't nearly as painful as his shapeshifting and he knew he could handle it. None the less, as the oily, black tendrils wrapped and spread up his forearm, he clenched the sheets with both hands and grit his teeth. So far, he had managed to stay still, the difficulties only arose when the midnight threads touched his chest, where they compressed slightly on his ribcage. The thirsty vines of oil spread farther up his breast, interweaving within each other like the stitching of a sweater.

Beast Boy's lips opened wide as a struggled gasp for air escaped his lungs. He felt the cold fingers slither up his throat, encompassing his jaw, and streaming deep into his mouth. His vision began to darken as the lack of oxygen began to take its toll on the green boy's brain. As the ink-colored fingers began to caress his cheeks and wrap around his eyes, he lost consciousness. Right before his mind went dull, he overheard the symbiote's voice say, "Fascinating..."

* * *

Darkness... That was all Beast Boy could make out.

Not your ordinary darkness either. This was a black abyss, void of all sound, perception, and feeling. He felt as light as a feather and as heavy as a rock at the same time. He could see something directly in front of his eyes, but not capable of making it out. He wasn't scared like he knew he should be, nor was he curious as to what was happening. He simply floated, unfeeling, motionless... Alone.

Then suddenly a burst of light brought him back to the real world. A car horn blared in his ears and the blinding light came closer and closer as the tires squealed. The vehicle stopped only a foot away from him, a minor achievement in itself that it had not crashed into him. Beast Boy sighed in relief and looked at the driver of the vehicle. Why was he looking at him like that? And why did he look so scared?

An odd reflection in the windshield snagged his attention and he stepped closer, to which the motorist responded by unlocking his car door and leaping away as speedily as he could. More concerned with the odd shape than the motorist, He stared at his reflection and took a good look.

A beast that seemed like it had been coated in tar stared back with deep, oddly formed, white eyes that appeared to stretch unnatural around its head. The several rows of sharp, elongated teeth seemed to smile back.

" _ **Like what you see, shapeshifter**_?" A frightfully sinister voice spoke in his head.

"Venom?" Beast Boy thought back, unconsciously opening his jaws allowing a lengthy tongue to roll out of his chops. Adding drips of saliva to the red coating on the car in the process.

" ** _Of course my friend. This is my natural telepathic voice of choice._** "

"Not exactly the most comforting voice is it?" Beast Boy inwardly smirked.

The deep laugh was more unsettling than Beast Boy would like to admit. "soooo..." Beast Boy paused. "I'm not stuck like this forever right?"

" _ **Of course not... This is actually my personal modification to the form you'd call 'the Beast'.**_ "

The tar creature straightened and Beast Boy's mind stumbled. " _ **Don't worry shapeshifter... you are in full control this time... Full control to test your new abilities, there is a bank being robbed as we speak and there is now a hostage situation... Why don't we help the local police force, yes?**_ "

Beast Boy nodded but quickly added, "Alright... and how about this, I'm going to name this new form Venom, in honor of my favorite symbiote."

The voice mentally swooned, " _ **Thank you, Garfield.**_ "

With that, Venom hunched over and shot himself straight into the air, latching onto the side of a large building. The structure trembled slightly under his sharp claws as he climbed up until reaching the top. Venom took a running start and leaped off of the roof. As he sailed down through the air he couldn't help but let loose a cry of ecstasy. The sound came out as both Garfield's and the symbiote's voices combined.

The beast spread his right arm out and watched in fascination as a black rope shot out of its palm and latched onto a high building. The creature used its momentum to swing forward, permitting his tongue flap loosely in the wind like a hound. Venom released his grip on the building before doing a backflip and latching onto another building with his left arm.

In a few more swings, Venom had made it to the bank in record time. Perching on the top of a building, he surveyed the abundance of cops stationed outside the building.

" _Quite the audience._ " Venom chuckled in his double voice. " _Let's give em a show._ "

He flew in the form of an ink-colored crow towards the skylight on the roof. He spotted the generator and sniggered mischievously while attempted to cut the power temporarily.

-In the bank-

"This was supposed to be simple Rix!" A thin masked man yelled, waving his handgun in the air in frustration.

"And when was robbing a bank ever simple Charles?" The third man of good build snorted while aiming his assault rifle at a group of hostages.

"Shut it both of you." The woman known as Rix announced in aggravation, the shotgun slung over her back as she packed a duffel bag full of cash that they had carted out.

Suddenly, the power cut out, silencing Charles rambling. The creak of a window being opened was heard through the dark room, with the only light being the moonlight from the windows. The robbers could faintly hear the police chief trying to negotiate with them outside, but they had more pressing matters. Like the sinister voice that whispered in the back of their minds.

"Hellooooo..." Its hushed and combined voice vocalized through the darkness.

"Oh man!" Charles cried before a terrifying scream was heard. It cut off with a loud thud.

"Charles?" The third man yelled into the darkness. "Damn it man, are you there?"

"Brian! Come here." Rix declared and Brian obliged. His scarred face came into her view, moonlight beaming on half of his features.

"You think it's the Titan's boss?"

"Possibly... though, this doesn't seem their style." She looked up at the man.

It happened too fast for her to react. She watched as Brian's legs darted out from under him and he was dragged forcibly back into the darkness while he shrieked helplessly.

"Brian!" Rix yelled and shot a shell blindly into the black abyss.

A deep, unsettling laugh reverberated through the moving shadows, seemingly coming from all sides of her. "Who... Who are you?" She shakily asked.

" _We...Are...Venom_ " The voice spoke behind her.

Turning around, the last thing Rix saw were rows of knife-like teeth inches from her face.

* * *

"what happened here?" Robin asked the chief of police outside of the Jump City Bank. The team had gotten unsettling reports and were asked to investigate. The fact that Beast Boy was nowhere to be seen and wasn't answering his communicator didn't sit well with Robin either.

"Well, it started out as a normal bank heist. Then it escalated to a hostage situation." The chief explained as they stepped through the front doors. "Then it became... this." The chief pointed towards the scene in the bank's main lobby.

In the center of the room was Rix sitting on the floor, hugging her knees and rocking back and forth while mumbling something incoherent. On both sides of her were Charles and Brian, hanging upside down with a black rope of sorts wrapped around their ankles. The hostages all looked like they had just seen a ghost and one had even fainted.

Robin cut down the two men and placed a sample of the tar-like goo in a tiny capsule. Rix never even moved and Robin squat down in front of her.

"Can you tell me what happened?" Robin asked quietly.

The blond-haired woman looked up and Robin saw the frenzied look in her brown eyes. She shook her head rapidly and went back to mumbling. "No, no tell... He'll eat me if I tell."

"Who will eat you?" Robin asked

"No, tell... You can't make me."

Understanding this was going nowhere he sighed, advised the chief to put them under arrest and walked outside to meet up with Cyborg. He looked at the small capsule, the inky fluid constantly stirring inside. If anyone could figure out what this gunk was, it was Cyborg.


End file.
